Staying Put

Silver Creek GardensTwo years ago, my husband removed four dying trees—two apple and two pear. Once they were gone the corner of our yard was open, vulnerable, and bare. Our solution—put in a planting—plant another garden!

I wanted color—lots of color. Color to delight the senses, color to excite one’s emotions, and color to invite people and wildlife. My husband wanted tall, strong and sturdy trees. We compromised. We have everything!     Silver Creek Gardens

There are bushes sweeping, ground cover spreading, and trees stretching, and colors spilling. I think it delights, excites, and invites. What do you think?

Seeing it all makes my heart sing and I ponder the verse, “All things are made beautiful in their own time.”

Recently, a person passing by stopped, saw me working in an adjacent garden, and called to me. “You really need to move these plants. They’re too close together.”

I thanked him and strolled over to the patch he was talking about. I had wanted them close to add interest, strength, and color.  Weaker stems had others to lend support. They were in a windy spot. The plants didn’t appear to be crowded. There was room for weeds to grow between them.

The familiar saying, “bloom where you’re planted” came to mind. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that may be uncomfortable. To some, the situation may seem detestable. (I’m not speaking of harmful situations.) People may be too loud (smelly, insensitive), jobs may be boring, or you may be faced with a family tragedy or health concern. My first impulse is to run, to remove myself from the discomfort. But, sometimes we need to stay in the situation—stay committed.

I’m finding that sometimes my parents were right when they insisted that I stay put. It is the uncomfortable situations that help us grow, strengthens us, and teaches us to better handle adversities. Sometimes we need to be faithful in the mundane.  And sometimes we need to stay put, say a little prayer of thanks that all things, including us,  are made beautiful in their own time.

I smiled at the gentleman, thanked him again, and told him, “I think I’ll leave them where they are for a while.”     South Branch